effect-temporal

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Data conversion ​

Temporal lets you install custom data converters — for encryption, compression, or custom formats. How they interact with this package:

Payload codecs: fully supported ​

Byte-level PayloadCodecs (encryption, compression) operate below this package and pass through untouched. Install them on both client and worker as usual; every surface round-trips:

  • workflow arguments and results
  • signals (deferred completions, mailbox offers)
  • queries (state cells, deferred state)
  • update payloads and responses
  • typed-failure details riding ApplicationFailures

The test suite pins an end-to-end "encryption" codec across all of these.

ts
const dataConverter = { payloadCodecs: [new MyEncryptionCodec()] };
// give it to both Client and Worker options

Payload converters: keep JSON handling ​

Format-level PayloadConverters must keep JSON handling (the standard composite-converter pattern): every payload this package produces is schema-encoded JSON, so a JSON-less converter cannot carry these workflows. Adding converters for your own types alongside the JSON one is fine — they simply won't see this package's payloads.

Where the schemas do the work ​

Because every boundary value is schema-encoded before it reaches Temporal's converter, the rich-type story lives in your schemas, not the converter: DateTime, branded types, unions, Redacted — declare them in the definition and they round-trip typed. You rarely need a custom payload converter at all.